Archived Self Check Outs: Why Target Missed the Big Read Ball

[OffYaPhone]

Too many of our cashiers have no problem solving skills. Most of them we wouldn't train for guest services...I can't imagine them to be able to help out too much with SCO when they can barely handle their own transactions if something goes a bit off.

Yeah...so basically a cashier calls off, the person designated for SCO gets moved to the register and the GSA gets to deal with it. As it is, we don't have a guest service person until 9:30/10am and only have one cashier until 10am on weekdays. There's no way they would add people to cover the SCOs. If SCO can't run themselves, our store will be in trouble. May I be gone by then.

OMG, how I wish you were at my store! They literally throw anybody - and I mean ANYBODY - over to the SD and it makes the seasoned GSTMs pretty upset. I've heard rumblings about getting SCO at my store and I fear this will happen as well.

 

[Retail Girl]

Oh what we get to look forward to.

Anyone been through a black Friday with these?

Yes, but nobody lived to tell the tale.

 

[Barcode]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
That's a good one......oh, wait....You were serious?

Everyone else does the same thing, I don't see why I wouldn't be serious 🙄

If Target didn't find ways to cut costs and consolidate roles, they would fall behind other retailers.

Throwing more employees at a problem is an "easy" way to fix things, but in my experience when we were overstaffed we were far from efficient. People don't get utilized 100% and there isn't a sense of urgency to complete tasks -- usually the end result is the same as if there were less employees.

 

[Stocker]

I use the SCO at Walmart because their cashiers have no idea how to bag like items together and I hate having 15 bags with 3 items in them. I always use the SCO so I can bag all of the cold/freezer items together, canned food together, etc. Plus I can double bag what I feel like. lol
And yes, I'm one of those people who doesn't feel the need for face to face contact every time I want to buy some milk and bread. I'm in. I'm out. Done.

My thoughts also, don't get me wrong I know they can be used for theft. But when I am shopping at a grocery store and only have 10 items or so and all the lines are 5 or 6 carts deep. I would rather pay for my stuff and leave instead of waiting in a long line. Of course at my local Frys you have to have someone come over to scan your coupons rather then you being able to do it.

 

[Kompa]

Self checkouts don't pitch me the shitty red card so they are already a step up from cashiers imo

 

[Bosch]

Self checkouts don't pitch me the shitty red card so they are already a step up from cashiers imo

Why I shop at my store, only the new cashiers try to pitch the card while ringing you out. Otherwise we BS and they get to relax and just ring a transaction.

 

[redeye58]

@Barcode: I laugh because Target seems to be better known for half-assing it rather than seriously applying workable business practices.
Cutting ties with Amazon? Ok.
Launching Missoni on a company-cobbled site rife with bugs & crashes? Not Ok.
Combining PA & Instocks? Ok.
Not giving them any extra hours, even a fraction of what the workcenter called for? Not ok.
Revamping tech to address flaws exposed by the breach & improve processes? Ok.
Cutting off old processes before new ones had the kinks worked out & firing a significant amount of tech personnel when they're needed most? Not ok.
There are countless threads about new processes being rolled out that fail to address any variants much less a 'normal' process, basic equipment failures, poorly-thought ideas that challenge even the most experienced TLs & MyDevice issues that still persist months later.
Then we had @Ulguy & @OtherGuy who were listening, taking suggestions & offering new info in an effort to help only to see both of them yanked.
Lowering costs? Maybe.
Improving efficiency which makes their business run more smoothly? Not likely.
Yes, everyone else does the same thing; they just do it better than Target.

 

[Barcode]

@redeye58
Well speaking as a Target consumer now rather than Employee, I don't notice any of those problems. Which really doesn't hurt Target's bottom line. People still love to shop there, and I don't see that changing remotely even with the current trends. People are overreacting.

 

[redeye58]

As a consumer too, I still shop at my store & I'm not the only one who still sees problems.
I wait in a long line because they only have maybe five registers open during peak.
I hear the grumbling & guests yelling across to the GSTL asking if any more registers are opening.
I hear her calling on the walkie for back-up & the LOD telling her that everyone who can come up is already up so send guests to FA & SB.
She looks at the long lines at both & shakes her head before telling the LOD that she's hopping on & can they come watch the lanes.
I've walked thru grocery hearing someone cussing a blue streak because they can't find a f**king employee to help them.
I loaded a large bag of catfood into a cart for an elderly guest because we couldn't find anyone in the area.
I've waited in a long line at pharmacy as the pharmacist is giving flu shots, one tech is on the phone for a denied claim & the other is ringing up guests as fast as she can.
My former store is A volume; people here aren't overreacting.

 

[Kompa]

No one cares about waiting in line. Where are going to go? Walmart where even less registers are open? People bitch and come right back

 

[defang]

Oh what we get to look forward to.

Anyone been through a black Friday with these?

I have, and I survived. We just walkied the GSTL whenever we had one ready to go. It wasn't really that efficient though since depending on who was running the line, they just ignored us most of the time.

 

[Retail Girl]

No one cares about waiting in line. Where are going to go? Walmart where even less registers are open? People bitch and come right back

They come back, but they come and go instead of being loyal customers. I agree, people are impatient and start screaming the second they think a line might form, but when the lines are 5 people deep and there is no hope of relieving them and I have to send a cashier to break, there is a problem.

 

[Bosch]

As a consumer too, I still shop at my store & I'm not the only one who still sees problems.
I wait in a long line because they only have maybe five registers open during peak.
I hear the grumbling & guests yelling across to the GSTL asking if any more registers are opening.
I hear her calling on the walkie for back-up & the LOD telling her that everyone who can come up is already up so send guests to FA & SB.
She looks at the long lines at both & shakes her head before telling the LOD that she's hopping on & can they come watch the lanes.
I've walked thru grocery hearing someone cussing a blue streak because they can't find a f**king employee to help them.
I loaded a large bag of catfood into a cart for an elderly guest because we couldn't find anyone in the area.
I've waited in a long line at pharmacy as the pharmacist is giving flu shots, one tech is on the phone for a denied claim & the other is ringing up guests as fast as she can.
My former store is A volume; people here aren't overreacting.

Have you worked in my store? That is a typical Saturday.

 

[redeye58]

Weekday early afternoon, actually.

 

[cmat21]

IDK about putting in a McDonald's, it seems since Walmart does that Target would do Wendy's since its the booshy, overpriced version

 

[mrknownothing]

We lost our express lanes for the damn self checkout machines. And Black Thursday/Friday? I'm just thankful I haven't opened since we still had the express lanes.

Reminder to ALL posters, if you have a grievance with a poster/thread, please use the REPORT feature to address the issue, do not take it upon yourself to police the thread yourself.

Did I miss something? Every post I've seen in the thread seems fairly innocuous.

 

[Bosch]

Weekday early afternoon, actually.

Yeah, that time between kindergarten and regular school lets out can get crazy.

 

[NPC]

We lost our express lanes for the damn self checkout machines. And Black Thursday/Friday? I'm just thankful I haven't opened since we still had the express lanes.



Did I miss something? Every post I've seen in the thread seems fairly innocuous.

MOD WARNING:
Please refrain from bringing up past moderation, what's in the past is in the past. Bringing it up again and pointing fingers at another user is nothing more than trying to smear that user and will not be tolerated.

 

[Barcode]

As a consumer too, I still shop at my store & I'm not the only one who still sees problems.
I wait in a long line because they only have maybe five registers open during peak.
I hear the grumbling & guests yelling across to the GSTL asking if any more registers are opening.
I hear her calling on the walkie for back-up & the LOD telling her that everyone who can come up is already up so send guests to FA & SB.
She looks at the long lines at both & shakes her head before telling the LOD that she's hopping on & can they come watch the lanes.
I've walked thru grocery hearing someone cussing a blue streak because they can't find a f**king employee to help them.
I loaded a large bag of catfood into a cart for an elderly guest because we couldn't find anyone in the area.
I've waited in a long line at pharmacy as the pharmacist is giving flu shots, one tech is on the phone for a denied claim & the other is ringing up guests as fast as she can.
My former store is A volume; people here aren't overreacting.

ASANTS I guess, I never have long lines in any of the Target stores in my area. Always pretty much 1+1, usually I just have to wait a minute or so. Once in a great while it's backed up but GSA is usually always visible and speedweaving/calling for backup.

I've had pretty good luck finding people on the sales floor too. Once in a great while i'll use a call box. Grocery/pfresh there is almost always someone.

Guess I'm just lucky 🙄

 

[redeye58]

Guess you are.
I'd love to shop there.
Although occasionally I do harass an a$$hole guest if I see them giving TMs a hard time.

 

[Redzee]

I don't use self check outs because I am providing free labor. Discount? I'll think about it.

 

[Redzee]

I'm expensive though. 😀

 

[SFSFun]

The local Albertsons' in my area have begun getting rid of their SCOs. This was one of the main reasons I still bothered going there. I used to love SCOs, however, I had previous experience with these machines, and grocery stores typically have someone there constantly attending to the machines. So it was a pleasant experience, usually.

Good 'ol Albertsons and their technology... I remember when they put in "Scan and Go" devices in my local store. You pickup a handheld scanner on your way in, scan each item and place it directly into your bag as you shop, then swipe your credit card through the scanner and leave. That worked out awesome for them...

 

[RhettB]

Most SCO that I have used have had issues. Yes, I put my MiO flavoring in the f-ing bagging area. Let me scan my next item you useless piece of crap machine. No, I did not put my 40 pound bag of salt in a bag. Let me go on. Yes, I keyed 4110, now weigh my damn bananas.

They are more hassle than they are worth.

 

[OffYaPhone]

Good 'ol Albertsons and their technology... I remember when they put in "Scan and Go" devices in my local store. You pickup a handheld scanner on your way in, scan each item and place it directly into your bag as you shop, then swipe your credit card through the scanner and leave. That worked out awesome for them...

My local grocery store still has this and I *love* it!!!